Foster Farms Suspends 5 After Undercover Video Shows Abuse

(AP) - Poultry producer Foster Farms has suspended five employees after an animal-rights group released an undercover video showing birds being slammed upside-down into shackles, punched and having their feathers pulled out while still alive.

The California-based company said Wednesday the employees were either directly involved in the abuse or failed to report it. Foster Farms says it's also reinforcing animal welfare training companywide.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office is investigating the abuse after getting a complaint last week from Mercy for Animals. The Los Angeles-based animal rights group says it took undercover video between April and June at a Foster Farms slaughterhouse in Fresno and the company's nearby farms.

The Associated Press first reported the video after obtaining it in advance of its release Wednesday.